Building bridges across divisions: First National Bank South Africa enhances customer experience with Dynamics 365
With a 185-years legacy, First National Bank (FNB) is South Africa’s oldest financial institution. A disjointed customer relationship management (CRM) system and departmental silos spurred FNB to elevate its approach. Turning to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales and Customer Service, the bank not only unified its data for a holistic customer view but also refined its sales and service strategies. With automated workflows, proactive customer insights, and enhanced engagement metrics, FNB began a new chapter in customer-centric relationship banking.
Founded in 1838, First National Bank (FNB), is South Africa’s oldest bank.
It operates under the philosophy of ‘better business; better world’. “We aim to provide people with the help they need to change their lives and communities, and to transform their businesses,” says Annaline van Asperen, Chief Operating Officer of First National Bank Commercial Sales.
With its commitment to empower people, FNB always placed a great emphasis on its customer relationship management (CRM) systems. Initially employing Microsoft Dynamics CRM on-premises, by 2021, the bank then decided to modernize its sales and customer service by transitioning to the cloud. “The move to Dynamics 365 Sales and Customer Service was a strategic step for us to have more visibility over operations and in parallel, proactively address customer needs,” recalls van Asperen. “It also has enhanced integration with cloud-based tools like Power BI, Microsoft 365, and Teams, which we have been using in all our banking operations.” FNB partnered with Microsoft partner Mint to ensure the bank’s migration would go smoothly.
“The move to Dynamics 365 Sales and Customer Service was a strategic step for us to have more visibility over operations and in parallel, proactively address customer needs.”
— Annaline van Asperen, Chief Operating Officer, FNB Commercial
A single source of truth across operations
FNB previously grappled with a highly customized legacy system that did not share a common data model. “We had 7 different tenants on-premise, and each department was operating in its own silo,” explains Sasha Wantenaar, Technology Department Head at FNB. “If the commercial bank wanted to talk to the retail bank about a shared customer, they couldn’t, because they didn’t speak the same language. Everybody was in their separate house, and we had to build bridges between them. It reached a point where we had more bridges than houses,” adds van Asperen.
The legacy system challenges, which would have required a lengthy upgrade path. “This was truly a catalyst and an opportunity, and a chance for us to step back and consider where we really want to invest our energy,” says Wantenaar.
FNB worked with Mint figuring out the best way forward. “We realized that we needed a strong foundation to support all of our units,” continues Wantenaar. “We also needed to get everyone on the same page. We embodied an African proverb: ‘If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together.’ We genuinely united, aligning our people, processes, and technological principles.”
Opting for longevity
With Mint’s guidance and Microsoft’s best practices, the bank developed a common data model that allowed FNB to view entities across regions and segments. And instead of customization, FNB opted to adapt its processes to the default capabilities of Dynamics 365. “Back when we were still on-premises, we started lagging behind due to our extensive customization,” van Asperen shares. “By staying close to the out-of-the-box solution, we effortlessly adopt future features and maintain the longevity and scalability of our CRM system”.
“Our Dynamics 365 closely mirrors the original product. Therefore, all the standard Microsoft videos and tutorials are very helpful,” says van Asperen. “This enabled our staff to quickly understand and use the system effectively. We achieved 80 percent adoption in a matter of weeks. Our team in Africa had a 100 percent adoption in just one week.” adds Wantenaar.
High adoption brought innovation to FNB. “Time for innovation has increased 20% within the annual calendar, through hackathons and dedicated workshops,” shares Wantenaar. “We achieved a 70% faster time-to-market, a 90% cost reduction, and streamlined onboarding.”
Proactive customer care
“With Dynamics 365 Sales and Customer Service, we are in a better position to share data. If a company in Zambia is considering requesting a new loan, being able to see and understand their activities across Africa is invaluable,” stresses van Asperen.
The move to cloud-based tools changed how the FNB sales team interacts with customers. “Before, I had to manually categorize customer emails into various Outlook folders. Now, incoming emails are automatically labeled and stored within the system,” van Asperen explains. Sellers can easily access a comprehensive view of all interactions a customer has had with anyone on the team. “Now, we can identify patterns, like why one customer emails us 20 times a week while another does so only once. Such insights help us understand and proactively address customer needs,” says van Asperen.
With this visibility, the bank can pinpoint patterns and specific customer service challenges. “Once we refined our case catalog, we began identifying specific issues, such as card cancellations,” van Asperen recalls. “Recognizing the volume and urgency of such cases led to changes, like enabling customers to cancel cards directly through digital platforms, thereby enhancing their experience.”
Driving informed decisions
Dynamics 365 also facilitated a deep dive into business and team performance. “Having full visibility of our sales pipeline enabled us to develop a capacity model. I can view each seller’s daily activities, from emails to service requests and opportunities,” points out van Asperen. This granularity enabled managers to spot trends, address inefficiencies, and allocate resources strategically across the 4,000-frontline staff.
This helped FNB revolutionize its sales processes. “A 50 percent sales conversion is typical. So, when I see a seller posting a 20 percent conversion rate, it prompts further investigation,” van Asperen shares. By understanding and overcoming key issues in the sales pipeline, FNB has observed a growth in revenue and customer base.
Building a connected future
For Wantenaar, the key to successful implementation is a strong partnership with Mint, Microsoft, and across FNB’s teams. “It’s not the technology that made it different. It was how we did it, the approach we took with Mint and Microsoft, and the trust we built over time, and continue to build. With every digital implementation, the key is to build the capabilities and culture to support the transformation”.
By embracing more Microsoft tools, FNB aims to further optimize its operations and activated Sales Copilot for automatically capturing, accessing, and registering data in the CRM system. “You can’t leap directly to the end of your digital transformation. One of the reasons for our success was that we gradually elevated expectations without overwhelming our team,” says van Asperen. “By falling in love with the problem, we iterate the solution. With any digital transformation, patience is key,” concludes Wantenaar.
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Document published November 2023